Jordan Spieth is one of the hardest workers in the game and he once offered some great advice for amateur golfers regarding how they should structure their practice sessions.
Spieth has 13 PGA Tour wins to his name including three major championships, but his form has undoubtedly regressed badly over the past three years.
In spite of that, the 32-year-old Dallas native is still one of the biggest needle-movers on the PGA Tour.
Spieth achieved huge success in his early years on the PGA Tour, and despite his recent struggles, nobody would be shocked if he won many more titles before he hangs up his clubs.
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His unrivalled work ethic is the main reason why he could well climb the mountain back to the top of the game at some point in the future.
The same applies to amateur golfers, albeit on a completely different scale. Spieth once provided a series of golf tips to help amateurs implement more structure into their practice.
Jordan Spieth shares what amateur golfers get so wrong that he sees on the PGA Tour
Spieth gets to see plenty of amateur golfers play during PGA Tour Pro-Ams throughout the year.
Not only does he see them out on the golf course, but he watches their warmup routines as well.
And when writing an instructional column for Golf Digest, Spieth shared that has noticed one thing that pretty much every single amateur golfer does which really isn’t helping them.
He said: “I see a lot of amateurs warm up on Wednesdays, which is pro-am day on the PGA Tour. For many of them, it’s a big day and really wanting to play well is an attitude and energy I appreciate being around.
“However, hitting balls in front of a gallery and alongside the pros is, I’m sure, an experience that could make a club player rush or get frazzled.
“Whether this is how they get ready to go at their home course, I’m not sure. From what I can see, it seems a lot of amateurs would benefit from applying some structure to their warm-ups.
“There’s a way to get the body and mind primed to play, and then there’s digging holes beating balls. Hard practice has its place, but never before a round.“
Spieth makes a great point here. Amateur golfers will gain absolutely nothing from pounding golf balls on the driving range.
There has to be some method behind the madness, and structured, smart practice is the way forward for all golfers who are desperate to improve.
Jordan Spieth’s driving range tips for wedges, irons and driver
Spieth’s advice for warming up with wedges…
The three-time major champion said: “Before I hit ball one, I dial in a feeling for the bottom of my swing.
“Standing with my feet together, I lightly rock my lob wedge back and forth with the force of what would produce about a 20-yard shot. I swing until I see the sole of the wedge consistently bruising the turf.
“Even though I’m not making a shoulder turn or even hinging my wrists, the rhythm of this pendulum motion sets the tone for my full swing that day.
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“With the first ball, I kick off a game we call Walk the Dog. I hit a little pitch, and wherever that ball stops, maybe 20 yards away, becomes the target landing spot for my next shot—and so on. Each ball runs a few yards farther than the previous, and this is how I gradually, yet quickly, work toward hitting full lob wedges.
“Not only does this game loosen the joints, it puts you in the mode of reacting to a target instead of exploring mechanical thoughts. If you start the day by, say, hitting to a flag that happens to be 50 yards away, the tendency is to get lost searching for the technique to hit that shot perfectly over and over.
“Before you know it, you’ve blown through half the bucket, your grip gets too tight, and the only shot you know how to hit is from 50 yards.“
Spieth’s tips for hitting irons on the driving range…
“Even for my quicker warm-up, I’ll work down the bag from my shortest irons to my longest, using the even numbers one day and the odds the next,“ Spieth said.
“I’m moving quickly, but if you watch, you’ll notice that I never hit a careless ball—every shot has a purpose. Before each swing, I announce to Cam or my caddie (or just to myself) the trajectory I intend to hit, like a high fade or a low draw. If I’m struggling to achieve these flights, I’ll take a break and try some wild shots. I’ll slice a 6-iron as far to the right on the range as possible, and then with the next ball, I’ll hit a low, running punch with hook spin over to the left side.
“Either shot might travel only 100 yards and look pretty ugly. It’s funny because I’ll do this at tournaments, and I know fans are thinking, Wow, he really doesn’t have it. But what I’m doing is bracketing extremes to find the middle for the day.
“When you stand on the range and try to hit every shot perfect, you can get locked into playing golf swing. Better to stay loose by hitting some funky shots, so you’re better prepared to actually play golf.
Spieth’s advice for getting the driver locked in…
He said: “On the range, most amateurs spend way too much time hitting driver. I get it; it’s the club that’s the most fun to hit. But whaling away and bending over to re-tee 50 times is no way to prepare for a round. Not only is it physically taxing, it can wash away the good feel and tempo you’ve presumably just established with your wedges and irons.
“I’ll often hit only four or five balls with my driver to close a warm-up session. But you might notice I start to become more deliberate. I step behind the ball and walk into the shot as I would on the course. I’m visualizing the tee shots on the opening holes, imagining the borders of the fairway and the trouble.
“I stretch the time between shots to better simulate the pace when I’m on the course. Hitting only a handful of drivers—but like each one really counts—gives me the confidence that I’ll bring my range game to the tee.“
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